carpenter



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

R. IV. CARPENTER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

TREMOLO ATTACHMENT.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No.r48,366, dated June 27, 1865.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, R. W. CARPENTER, of the city of New York, in the county and State of NewYork, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Musical Instruments; which I call a Tremolo Attachment, and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing,mak ing a part of this specification, and to the letters ofreference'marked thereon.

One of the principal ornaments of music, known as the tremolo, and which is peculiarly effective with the voice, has hitherto been beyond the compass of instrumentation. The nearest approach to this peculiar effect in instrumental music has consisted in the rapid reiterationof a note instead of the general shake or vibration of the chord, and the best means of producing it thathas been hitherto adopted,

known as the com immutata ofthe organ, is a valve hungouaspriugin an enlargementof the pipe in such a manner that the vibration ofthe springrapidly closes andopcns thepassage, and breaks, as it were, the note into a number of pieces, instead ot' conveying it to the ear in au unbroken vibratory thrill. To accomplish thisvibratou or shake of the note as rendered by the human voice, the object of my invention is to impart to the column of air conveying the notes from a reed orother wind-instrument an undulation-in addition to that of the note, so that the progress of the note to the ear may be illustrated by conceiving` it to be carried over a waving, unsteady railway instead of a level and even one. To attain this end my invention consists in applying a revolving or swinging vane or beater to the instrument in such a position that when it is put iu motion by a trcadle or othersuitable means the blows upon the air of the rapidly-moving beatersimpart to the notes, without impairing their continuity, a tremulousness that is very similar to the tremolo of the voice.

To enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use myinvention, I will proceed to describe its construction and operation with reference to thedrawing,which represents the upper part of the case of au ordinary cabinet-organ, a b, with thc lid c d raised to permit the rotation of the pair of vanes or beaters cfplaced on the shaft g. This shaft is caused to revolve bythe reciprocal actionot' the spring lt and the string t, to which it is attached by making a few turns .of the string` around the shaft of the beaters and leading it to a treadle or other suitable means by which it may be worked. In playing passages where the treinolo may be desired, a slight motion ot' the foot causes the reaction ot' the spring to revolve the shaft and occasions a succession of blows bythe beaters upon the airin the region of the swell,and produces the effect desired.

Haring thus described what I believe to be the best means of carrying my invention into effect, I wish it to be understood that my iuvention is not restricted to the details or the mannerof application thatI have specified, and which l prefer simply because they are the most convenient to adopt, as the revolving beaters may be placed under the cover of the instrument in the space that is usually vacant behind the key-board and swell.

The beaters may be placed in the air-chain ber orelsewhere to produce the required effect, or they may be rotated continuously by a doublc connection with the pedal or other means of operation.

l claim as myinvention and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The application of means to the instrument by which the air may be agitated to produce a tremulous note, substantially as described.

YV. CARPENTER.

Witnesses F. A. MARRINER, WM. KEMELE HALL. 

